ISLAMABAD: Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief Mohsin Naqvi has cautioned India against “dragging war” into sports after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi politicised India’s Asia Cup final victory over Pakistan, linking it to the May military conflict.
Following India’s win, Modi took to X to congratulate his team, calling the result a continuation of “Operation Sindoor” — the four-day confrontation earlier this year. “#OperationSindoor on the games field. Outcome is the same — India wins! Congrats to our cricketers,” he wrote.
Naqvi swiftly responded, saying history already documented India’s “humiliating defeats” at Pakistan’s hands and that “no cricket match can rewrite that truth.” He warned that bringing war rhetoric into sport reflected “desperation” and violated the spirit of the game.
The diplomatic row overshadowed the Asia Cup’s finale, which was already marred by India’s refusal to collect the winners’ trophy from Naqvi during the post-match ceremony — an unprecedented snub that drew criticism across the cricketing community.
Adding to the symbolism, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that its players would donate their Asia Cup final match fees to the victims of India’s May 7 attack on Pakistan.
The gesture mirrored Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav’s pledge to contribute his fees to victims on India’s side, though Pakistan underlined that its contribution was directed at civilians, including children, who lost their lives.
Pakistan captain Salman Agha described India’s conduct as a “disrespect to cricket,” citing the refusal to shake hands, the boycott of the award ceremony, and repeated politicisation of the matches. “A good team doesn’t do what they did. We waited for our medals and took them with respect. They disrespected the game itself,” he said.
Indian skipper Yadav countered by saying the players themselves were “the real trophies,” and claimed the decision not to accept the trophy was taken collectively.
Throughout the tournament, Indo-Pak clashes reflected worsening political ties. The September 14 and 21 encounters saw heated exchanges, including ICC reprimands for Pakistan’s Haris Rauf and Sahibzada Farhan, as well as Naqvi’s earlier complaint against Indian players’ politicised remarks.
The Asia Cup marked the first bilateral cricket between the neighbours since their May conflict, when India launched airstrikes in Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir. The standoff, which lasted four days, ended after US intervention but left ties severely strained.
